Ah, Lord God! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You. You show steadfast love to thousands…

Jeremiah 17-18a

As a child, one of the first prayers we learn is, “Now I lay me down to sleep,” or “God is great, and God is good, let us thank Him for our food.” But, do we grasp what we are saying when we say, “God is great, and God is good?” It’s a simple prayer, but it becomes a habit and then loses its meaning quickly. We all know God is great, but do we ever meditate on God’s greatness? I sometimes wonder if we are so self-consumed that we only think about God’s greatness as it enriches us in some way that makes us wealthier or happier. 

Jeremiah is a book that records God’s goodness and his people’s disobedience. It’s that simple. Jeremiah felt the weight of opposition all through his ministry. He preached the coming Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem to the Benjamites, whose territory split Israel and Judah. So you can see how this could be a wavering group of people. 

Within this book, in chapter 32, Jeremiah gives us a picture of God’s greatness. What can we learn from that description today?

God is Omnipotent

God created the heavens and the earth by His great power (32:17). God’s creative power frequently rolls off our tongues and becomes second nature to us. But I want to encourage you to read this with fresh eyes today. GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH BY HIS GREAT POWER. Who else in the world’s history has ever, or could ever, do something as amazing as that? To create it, He had to design it. And what a beautiful place He made.

We become so distracted by other things in our lives that we fail to slow down and enjoy God’s omnipotence. And Scripture doesn’t say that God used His power. It says GREAT POWER. 

Jeremiah understood what Mary, the mother of Jesus, understood. With God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Jeremiah put it this way. “Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17). What a great promise to all generations. 

God is Omnibenevolent

What does this mean? It means that God’s covenant love towards us never ends. Even during the events leading to Jerusalem’s impending fall in chapter 39, Jeremiah sees that God’s love does not end. Even when we go through times of discipline from the Lord, His love still abounds in a compassionate way to help and encourage us.

Do you need encouragement today? Has your world seemingly fallen apart from the inside-out? God hasn’t changed His love for you. He loves you just as much today as He did yesterday. And He will love you just as much tomorrow.

I don’t know about you, but there are times when I don’t feel lovable. I want to run to a dark corner of my room and hide from God. But God’s love transcends our guilt.

Here’s the real question. If God can be benevolent to us with a covenant kind of love, is it possible for us to treat others in the same way? Do we treat others with that kind of love?